Reading You
by Lumiere Nordiques
Summary: This was originally meant to be a one-shot, but I added a short drabble: Brick left Townsville two years ago, promised of fame and fortune. Along the way, he discovered that not everything is worth giving up.
1. Reading You

_Yay! I've finally gotten the guts to post this on the Powerpuff Girls fan fiction page! _

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**Reading You**

Blossom wiped the sweat off her brow before pushing off the ground again. She swung onto the lowest tree branch with ease. With her legs wrapped around the trunk, she slid upside down and watched her sisters train.

All three girls trained without using a single one of their powers. They built up their stamina without using any of their natural cheats. Blossom was afraid the girls were losing their touch since there were not any major monsters to battle. They had been reduced to stopping mediocre robbers and purse snatchers. That is why, after the Rowdyruff boys came back to Townsville, Blossom trained her sisters and herself to the extreme.

The pink Puff pulled herself to the top of the tree, kicked off the highest branch, and flipped to the ground. She tucked back a stray strand of her flaming red hair. "Looks like we're done for today, girls."

Bubbles finished one last back flip before stretching. "Thank goodness. I really need to take a bath." She wrinkled her nose and jogged into the house.

"Hey, I'm going to that Italian restaurant downtown. Want anything?" Buttercup asked, drying her face with a piece of cloth.

"I think I'll come with you," Blossom answered. She and Buttercup entered the empty house.

"Bring me back some of those breadsticks," Bubble shouted from the upper bathroom.

Blossom slid into the driver's seat while Buttercup sat in the passenger seat. Driving downtown, the girls chatted about nothing in particular. Both girls were not ones to talk excessively. Bubbles, when she was present, was the one who carried on most of their conversations.

The redhead parked the car by a small building surrounded by shrubbery. A small sign atop the building read _Roseto_. It was a cafe that was very popular with the locals. The Powerpuff Girls were regulars there and were well-acquainted with the owner, Valentino Baldovino, but everyone called him Vin.

The two girls entered the shop, glancing around at their familiar settings. Huge plush chairs were arranged in a circle in the corner of the room. Tables were set near windows and a long counter stretched around half of the room. Everything felt calm and relaxing. It was the perfect setting for almost anything.

Blossom pulled her hair into a messy bun while Buttercup made a beeline for the counter to talk to Marie, a classmate that worked here part-time. Buttercup would probably spend most of her time in the kitchen with the cook. "I'm going to stop by the bookstore for a while," Blossom called to her sister's retreating figure. Buttercup waved a hand in acknowledgement.

The pink Puff walked to the small bookstore across the street. She entered, inhaling the familiar and comforting scent of fresh pressed books. Mrs. Evens stood behind the counter. She greeted Blossom enthusiastically. Blossom smiled at her, walking deeper into the store. She allowed herself to get lost between the shelves.

Blossom picked up a book with a particularly interesting cover. She turned it over to read the summary. So engrossed in the book was she that Blossom didn't hear him come up behind her. A pair of familiar warm hands began violently tickling her sides.

Stifling a shriek, Blossom whirled around, nearly dropping her book.. Standing there, in all his arrogant glory, was Brick Jojo, the bane of Blossom's existence. He laughed loudly at Blossom's furious expression.

"What are you doing here?" Blossom demanded angrily, pushing against his chest. He was way too close for comfort.

Brick didn't budge. In fact, he leaned even closer, resting his hands on either side of the bookcase. Blossom leaned as far away as possible, her hands firmly against his chest. He'd been like this all year, constantly attempting to annoy her to death. He'd go out of his way just to get her into uncomfortable positions, practically doing everything under the sun to catch her attention because he knows it would embarrass her.

"What? I can't talk to my favorite Powerpuff?" he teased, smirking.

Blossom shoved him away. "Not here, Brick! You're going to make a bookcase fall over." She shoved past him and walked to another section. He, being his obnoxious and annoying self, followed.

"Working out?" He glanced down at her attire. She shrugged.

"You're actually gonna buy this?" Brick asked, plucking the book out of Blossom's hand. She turned to grab it, but he held it out of her reach. Blossom glared at him, wondering why he had to be so freaking tall. He read the title. "_Jane Eyre_?" He snorted. "Seriously?"

Blossom's face heated up. "Yes! I happen to love the Bronte sisters."

"You _liked_ reading _Wuthering Heights_?" Brick asked incredulously. Blossom nodded defiantly. "That book was probably the most depressing thing I ever read."

"You read it?" Blossom was taken aback. She knew for a fact that Brick really hated reading.

Brick shrugged. "For school. Heathcliff and Catherine were complete morons. No wonder they both ended up crazy and dead."

Blossom huffed. "You wouldn't know literary genius if it smacked you in the face." She turned back to the bookcase and examined the other books. Brick leaned against the bookcase, probably intend of criticizing the rest of her favorite novels. She glanced at him. "You know, I would have thought that you would love all that dark and dreary stuff."

"I normally do," he replied, smirking. "That story's just… pathetic. It's not even worth talking about. I prefer Poe or Stephen King." He pushed aside some of her hair. She felt his hand brush against the side of her face, and warmth trailed after it.

"I thought you hated reading," Blossom mumbled, taking a step away from him. Stupid butterflies. They had no right to be in her stomach.

Brick poked her side. Blossom squealed, swatting his hand away. "I _said _that I hated reading boring crap."

Blossom rolled her eyes, picking out another book. Brick grabbed that one out of her hand as well. The pink Puff scowled at him. "You better give those back afterwards." She never would have thought that he'd like to read anything, let alone the classics. People always told her that those books were so dull, and she was boring for reading them.

Brick shook his head at her choice of books. "You should come over to my house sometime soon. _I _actually have books that you'd love to read."

"I do love reading these books!" Blossom insisted, her face turning even redder. Was he serious about his offer? Probably not. "Fine, what books do _you_ recommend, huh?"

Brick grabbed her hand and tugged her further into the store, making faces when he saw the romance novels. What an egotistical jerk, Blossom thought. He stopped in front of a section that Blossom never really looked at. It was filled with books by Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Edger Allan Poe, and all those clinically depressed authors. He picked out a particular book by Hardy and tossed it to Blossom.

She read the small summary and tilted her head. "Okay… I'll admit that it sounds interesting," she grudgingly admitted. "But if I'm reading this, you have to read something of mine."

Brick folded his arms. "What?" Blossom shoved _Pride and Prejudice _into his arms. "I am not reading this chick lit."

She smacked his arm. "It is _not_ a chick lit, stupid. It's a masterpiece of English literature." It annoyed her to death when people bashed her favorite books without even reading them. "It shows the struggles women have to go through to become equal to men during that time."

"It's a romance novel!" Brick stared down at the cover in disgust.

"Would you like reading something from Nora Roberts instead?" Blossom asked innocently. Brick pretended to gag. "That's what I thought."

xoxoxoxox

It turned out that Blossom really did like the book. She spent most of her classes reading it and even shortened the Girls' workout session to finish it. Who knew that reading about the depressing life about some poor farmer would be so interesting? She had to admit that Brick had a good taste in books.

The next day, Brick returned her _Pride and Prejudice_ book. There was a small note on the front.

_You were right. It was pretty good… for cheesy romance novel. _Blossom rolled her eyes. _We _could_ argue about it over dinner. Pick you up at six?_

Blossom's eyes widened. That was blunt. She reread the note, a tiny smile playing on her lips. She glanced over her shoulder at Brick. He winked at her across the room.

Brick got his book back after school with a pink sticky note attached to the inside.

_Sure_.

**I know it seriously wasn't good. I'm not use to writing one shots like this. Sorry! **


	2. Viva La Vida

**This is a very, _very_ short scene that popped into my head while listening to Viva La Vida by Coldplay, ergo the title. ****I know it makes little sense, but I just wanted to catch the emotions that would occur in a character once they've fallen from grace.**

**Brick here had left Townsville about two years ago with promises of fame and fortune, but he ended up losing everything. He came back to Townsville to reminisce about his past. I might expand upon the idea when I'm more coherent. **

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**Viva La Vida**

The wind rustled the multihued leaves scattered across the ground. A teenage boy, hands stuffed deep in his pocket, walked down the eerily quiet street. There were no honking horns, nor any heels clacking against the pavement. Everybody was sleeping. They had no idea that a fallen prince was walking past their houses.

Brick kicked a pile of leaves. He watched them swirl away in the wind and resisted the urge to scowl. Only a few months ago, he wouldn't have been out here. He would have been lounging in the lap of luxury. He would have been playing video games with his brothers on his flat screen. He _would _have been drinking coffee imported specially for him from Columbia. But that was when he ruled the world. _How the mighty have fallen_, Brick thought bitterly, _but that's the story of my life. _He had brought about his own downfall, and he knew it. It made the memory all the more harsh.

Silvery pale flakes began floating onto the earth. He grimaced. Snow was the last thing he needed. Brick continued to walk, unsure of his destination. He just needed to stretch his legs, get away from the self-pity he kept finding himself in.

He'd been controlled and manipulated. Brick Jojo was not one to put up with that. He was the one who was suppose to manipulate others. It was a rather shocking slap to the face when he found out he and his brothers had been yet another person's puppets.

"Brick?" a familiar, feminine voice called. Brick pretended not to hear her, but she was near impossible to shake off. A warm hand rested on his shoulder.

He turned reluctantly. Blossom stood before him, dressed in pink pajamas with tiaras on them. She'd grown so much from the last time he saw her. Brick particularly noticed her gentle curves. She stared up at him with intelligent rosy eyes. "What?" he demanded, his voice raspy.

"What are you doing out in the cold?" Blossom demanded. She raised a brow, waiting for him to answer. Brick wanted to snort. They hadn't seen each other in God knows how long, and that's the first question she asked.

"Is it any of your business?" Brick questioned. He turned, but Blossom wasn't about to be ignored.

She walked in front of him. "Will you move?"

"No," the girl replied stubbornly. "You're going to talk to me, Brick." Brick noticed that she hadn't lost her commanding air since the last time he saw him. "You can't just leave for two years and expect me to back down." To his surprise, Blossom shoved Brick roughly, and he almost fell onto his butt. "Talk."

Brick watched her eyes dance with barely suppressed anger and grinned his first real grin in ages. She was still the same Blossom he knew and loved. Some things hadn't changed. Maybe there was still hope for him.


End file.
